#MyMarathon – The Big 20

Thanks to #MyMarathon, as of the 16th, I’d literally run 20 miles during May.

Seems pretty impossible right?!

Most especially as I didn’t end up going for a run on Saturday again. Life gets in the way, y’know?! Adam was working so I got up and did some chores, the boring stuff mainly. Then treated myself to a little ol’ massage to sooth my aching muscles. I found someone who looked pretty legit (and tbh was really quite cheap too) on Gumtree and booked in for a Swedish full body. Sitting in the car watching the time tick was nerve wracking as the houses were quite run down along the road she lived on and was slightly *ahem* really nervous that she’d turn out to be a murderer and nobody would know where I was. Well, other than Adam and my best friend.

Turns out I shouldn’t have been snobby at all and houses do not define people! My masseuse was bloody fantastic! She had the softest hands and really worked into the bits that I pointed out were tight and achy. For £30 I got a full consultation and a 75 minute amazing massage – now THAT is good value.

Anyway, I get carried away. 

So on Saturday I didn’t run. I literally spent the rest of the day I was hoping to relax and benefit from the massage zen I left her house in, whizzing about getting stuff done and preparing a BBQ for some friends that evening.

Sunday we had a lovely day out, and by the time I got home in the evening I was tired. And we all know what happens when Alice gets tired, she gets grumpy! Elruchh soz for the third person, not sure what happened there…

Still, whilst I could have chosen to snuggle up on the sofa with my boo and a big plate of leftover BBQ’d chicken, I forced myself to make the most of the sunny evening and get out there.

Planning a bit of a route before I left, I ended up changing it up once I was out so that rather than just going through the Barbican, I ran through the trading estate, along the sea front on the south west coast path, up over the hill to the aquarium, then up that huge winding hill to the Hoe (you never realise quite how tiring those hills are!) and down and round looping back home. 4.5 miles in total, but I was knackered.

I definitely prefer morning runs when you convince yourself its a good thing before you’ve even had a chance to wake up properly. Evening runs after a long day on your feet are hard.

Still, as I’d missed Saturday, and got home late from work on Monday night, instead of being able to make it to badminton, I went for another run, this time along the canal. This is what #MyMarathon has done to me!

See, I was determined to get to 20 miles by this week, so I still had 3.3 to make up – which I very much did, to the line (I even measured out how many fields past the bridge would add the extra 0.15 each way). Running with the setting sun on your face, a gentle breeze and surrounded by water and fields was glorious. Glorious, but also really tiring. There were multiple breaks under bridges to stretch and psych myself up for the next section.

The big problem this time was my shins. When I starting running last year I had the same problem – shin splints. Being a novice runner, running mainly on hard surfaces and shifting around a little too much junk in the trunk, means I’m more susceptible to this condition that affects where the muscle joins your shin bone.

The main issue?

You’re advised to stop impact exercise for a minimum of 2 weeks – including running. Hmpphh.

Whilst doing my HIIT class last night, most of the moves that didn’t involve any jumping were fine, I did notice it when doing high impact though.

With only 6 miles left, I’m determined to finish what I’ve started, but perhaps just take it a bit easier, running on softer ground and with less force.

I will get through it and finish #MyMarathon, I’m so close to the end now!